The Legend Of Zax Do' Urden
by TheAssassinRenevaron
Summary: Zax is the youngest member of the Do'Urden house, the second son of Briza Do'Urden. He's heard nothing but bad things about his uncle, Drizzt. But are they true? What his Uncle did, was it the right thing? Zax wonders this and strives to find the truth.
1. Zax Do'Urden

The snap of the feared snake-headed whip rang hard on the young drow's skin.

Zax cried out, despite how hard he tried to hold it in. It gave his mother satisfaction.

" You brought shame upon your family! You have displeased Lolth by failing to bring back the rouge! " His mother, Briza, shrieked.

" Matron moth – "

His mother's angry response was another whipping for speaking without her permission.

Zax bit his lip as he felt the sting of the whip again.

" Never speak without my permission! I told you to find Drizzt and you come back to me without him, mumbling lame excuses! "

Zax wisely said nothing as his mother continued to yell at him.

" Go now to your quarters, before I decide to give you more time for you and my whip to know one another…" His mother sneered.

Zax stood, shakily. He turned around to face his mother and bowed low before racing out the door.

There he found his uncle Dinin, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

Dinin was the only one in the family that Zax got along with, the only one that he felt he could trust.

" Dinin! " Came Brizza's scream. 

Dinin sighed, placed a hand on Zax's shoulder to offer comfort, before heading through the doors.

Zax took a deep breath, his eyes closed, already knowing that his uncle was going to get the same punishment as he had.

The two of them had gone on patrol through the Underdark, looking for Drizzt and had not found him even after days of searching.

Zax sighed and walked down the hall, hearing the slap of the dreaded whip hit Dinin's skin.

He switched his pace into a run, trying to escape the cries of pain coming from behind.

" Well, well look who's back from the patrol so soon. " Came a sly voice from behind one of the many pillars in the hallway.

Zax slowed down to a stop, searching for who ever it was that had spoken.

His older brother Lucareus, stepped out from behind a pillar beside him, a smirk on his face.

" Mother wasn't pleased when she learned that you two were on your way home with no prisoner. "

" No, she wasn't pleased…" Zax scowled.

Lucareus' eyes narrowed.

" Don't speak to me like that Secondboy…"

Zax didn't reply.

" … the Weapons Master is waiting for you in the training room, brother. " Lucareus sneered before leaving.

Zax continued on his way, left in a sour mood at his brother's cocky attitude. One day, Zax would be Elderboy. He would make sure of it.

….

Zax made his way to the training room, drumming on the hilts of his two twin-bladed baton swords. They were rare in Menzobarranzan, Do'Urden being the only house that had a set, thanks to the , now dead, legendary weapons master, Zaknafien. The weapons master had gotten them on a raid to the surface.

What the new Weapons Master wanted with him was a mystery to the young drow, for he had only two weeks before graduated from Meele Magthere. He had trained with the new Weapons Master, Argorth, at an early age. Argorth had noticed that Zax had a way with his hands, that he would be a good swordsman and had at the age of ten, begun to train him to be as powerful a swordsman as his infamous uncle Drizzt. They wanted Drizzt dead and the only way they would be able to do that is through Zax they believed, because if Dinin and even Zaknafien himself, couldn't beat the renegade drow then no one else could.

Zax hated having so much weight forced onto his shoulders, they truly expected him to be an amazing swordsman. If he didn't exceed their expectations, Zax was punished.

Lost in his thoughts, Zax didn't see the bugbear cross his path and nearly tripped over the hairy creature.

He caught himself though before he fell and whipped around, drawing his swords and aiming them at the slave's throat.

" How dare you! " He hissed.

The bugbear's eyes widened in fear and mumbled something in it's own language that Zax could not even begin to understand..

He slapped the worthless creature upside the head with more strength than he thought he had, sending it flying into the nearby wall.

" That'll teach you. Never get in the way of a Secondboy…" He snarled to the pathetic bugbear slave.

" Sorry…master! " It mumbled, in hardly distinguishable drow tongue.

Zax pivoted on his heel, sheathed his swords in one fluid movement, and continued on his way in a very bad mood.

He reached the door to the weapons room fairly quickly, quicker than usual, and threw open the door to see his former master standing there, facing the weapons rack.

" Welcome home, my boy. " Argorth mumbled, turning around to face Zax.

Zax bowed.

" Master. "

Argorth chuckled.

" I'm no longer your master, boy. You're a drow warrior now. "

Zax couldn't help but smile slightly.

" Yes. I suppose. What did you want of me? "

" … spar one last time with me? "

Zax's face showed surprise at the request.

" Spar? " He grinned and nodded.

" I knew that you'd agree. " His former master smirked and drew his twin swords.


	2. Elderboy

The fight didn't last as long as either one of them hoped, for Lucareus entered just when Zax readied himself for a powerful swing at his former master's side. He managed to still his blade, inches from his attended target.

His master did the same, pausing in his parry to look at Zax's older brother, his former student.

" Lucareus…what a pleasant surprise, me boy. "

Lucareus, who had been snarling at his younger brother, turned his glare on the weapons master.

" I am not a boy any longer, old man. "

The weapons master didn't look surprised at Lucareus' attitude and nearly shrugged it off, his smile never vanishing.

But he did turn to look at Zax slightly, though. And Zax could see the message his master had intended to send to him, clearly in his wizened eyes.

' Have I ever told you that you were my favorite? '

Zax stifled a laugh and fought hard to keep the smirk off his face. He sheathed his swords turning away from his brother slightly to grin wolfishly.

Lucareus noticed the humorous light in his brother's eyes when his brother turned around again and his scowl deepened.

The smirk disappeared from Zax's face when he saw his brother's scowl and starred back, challenging his brother to do anything about it.

The weapons master realized what was going on and saw the challenging light in Zax's eyes. He quickly intervened before things got out of hand.

" What did you need here Lucareus? " He asked swiftly, sensing his most recent apprentice's anxiety. He knew how Zax felt towards his older brother, he wanted the Elderboy dead.

Thankfully, Lucareus turned his uncomfortable glare on him again.

" Brother, your presence is required in the throne room. Matron Mother is waiting for you. I'd make it quick, she wasn't in a good mood. "

Zax sighed, of course his mother wasn't in a good mood. She never was unless she wanted something.

Zax, with a quick look towards his former master, turned and walked swiftly through the door, slipping past Lucareus and out into the damp hallways beyond.

Around one corner he nearly ran into Dinin and would have if it weren't for his sharp reflexes.

" Uncle! " Zax cried, steadying Dinin, who had nearly toppled over in surprise.

Dinin looked bad, his eyes had lost their usual humor he had reserved only for Zax and the confident stride in his footsteps, his shoulders were also slightly hunched over, whether in pain or exhaustion, Zax didn't know.

His eyes wide with fear of what he might find, he gently turned Dinin around, surprised that there was no resistance from the older drow.

He gasped, there was hardly any more flesh left on his uncle's back. It had all been stripped off by Briza's cruel whip.

" I'm fine, Zax…" Dinin mumbled.

" No, you aren't! We need to get you to the – "

Dinin roughly pushed him away, a snarl on his face.

" I said I'm fine! I don't need your petty concerns! I am fine on my own!" He yelled.

Zax shrank back, not used to having Dinin yell at him. Dinin was the only one in the family who didn't scream at him only for the sake of hearing their own voice. Sometimes Zax thought that he and Dinin were not nephew and uncle at all, but more of a father and son. Hearing Dinin snap at him was like a physical blow to the heart, Zax felt as if a dagger had been run through his chest millions of times. He knew it wouldn't have hurt so much if it weren't his uncle who had struck out at him.

Dinin saw the hurt in the young drow's eyes. On the inside it pained him, he had hurt his best friend, the only person who truly understood him and was always there for him, with his foul words.

But the other half of him, the cruel drow, didn't care. He wanted to be left alone, not fussed over like some helpless child by a mere boy who had just graduated from Melee Magthere a few weeks prior and barely had the strength to look out for himself.

" I can take care of myself – " He started to snarl when a cold voice cut him short.

" Uncle, I'm sorry to interrupt this, no doubt to be interesting, conversation. But my …_brother's _assistance is required in the main hall. " Lucareus scoffed, coming up behind Zax.

Slightly startled that his brother had managed to come up from behind both him and Dinin without either one of them noticing, Zax turned around to face the icy, red, eyes boring into him.

He fought the urge to sigh in annoyance, his brother always had it out for him.

Zax glanced at Dinin out of the corner of his eye and noticed the snarl on his uncle's face.

" Get lost, Lucareus…" Dinin growled, his voice dripping with poisonous venom.

They couldn't help it, both Zax and Lucareus raised their eyebrows in surprise and took a step back from the older drow warrior.

Zax and Lucareus shared startled looks., then, noticing that they had caught the other's gaze, looked sharply away with a snarl.

Lucareus turned to Dinin.

" You may be older than me Uncle, but the Matron Mother knows you've over extended your welcome here – "

The rest of what Lucareus was going to say was lost to the young drow as Dinin made his move. Before either one of them could react, Dinin had drawn his sword and pushed it through Lucareus' chest.

The two young Do'Urden brother's eyes widened in shock, Zax at Dinin's actions and Lucareus' seeing Dinin's sword through his chest.

Lucareus looked from the blade in his chest to Dinin, then back. He tried to speak but all that came from his open mouth was blood.

" Dinin! What are you – are you crazy? What – " Zax cried, the truth of the moment finally sinking in.

Dinin's response was a glare cruel enough to drain the blood from Zax's face.

Seeing the sword through his brother's chest and not wishing the same fate, Zax wisely shut his mouth. He couldn't hide his shock at Dinin's actions though.

Lucareus glanced towards Zax, obviously wanting his younger brother to help him out or do something. He seemed shocked to see that his brother was just standing there watching with wide eyes as Dinin shoved the sword further through the Elderboy's chest.

" B-Brother…." Lucareus managed to splutter, seeking assistance, before he went limp and his eyes glazed over.

Zax merely smirked at his brother's corpse.

" It seems I'm Elderboy now. " He grinned.

Lucareus, the Elderboy of House Do'Urden, was dead and he, Zaxar Do'Urden had taken his place.


End file.
